National curriculum review: Primary school principals want more focus on basic literacy and numeracy

Updated
Tue 11 Mar 2014, 11:48 AM AEDT

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The review follows concerns the school curriculum is failing students.

Anne-Christine Pouloulat, file photo: AFP

The Australian Primary Principals Association (APPA) says the national curriculum is overcrowded and needs to focus more on basic literacy and numeracy skills.

A Federal Government review is currently underway into the curriculum, and the deadline for public submissions has been extended until the end of the week due to high demand.

APPA president Norm Hart says its submission to the review highlights the need for more focus on literacy and numeracy.

He says while parts of the curriculum are good, some subjects, such as economics, are too advanced for primary school.

"We're worried that [the curriculum] won't allow for the deeper understanding that we want to have in literacy and numeracy, and in other subject areas that there is simply too much material for primary teachers to cover in their classrooms every year," he said.

"[It should be] provided for our students in a rich school experience that covers the arts and physical education and all of the other subject areas, but in a way that really focuses on those four core pieces of learning."

The review was announced in January by Education Minister Christopher Pyne, who indicated he wants the curriculum to have a greater focus on the benefits of Western civilisation.